Dearest Ally
by The Sushi Monster
Summary: "So who's your soulmate?" "Don't know. I don't think we've met yet." "You don't think? Wouldn't you know?" "Well I thought I had met him, but - That's the problem with working at a coffee shop. Lots of people have the same order." Bonnie works as a barista at a coffee shop and she waits for someone to give her the order that matches the tattoo on her wrist.


**Notes:** Came up with this idea at 4am because I needed something fluffy after losing all hope for canon!BE. Expect mostly fluff from me until the finale, honestly. Would love and appreciate reviews as they are what keep me writing.

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"Welcome to Starbucks, what would you like today?"

The woman across from her stands straighter. Her eyes widen just slightly, and Bonnie knows what happens next - "Tall caramel cappuccino with a shot of espresso." The woman pauses, staring back hopefully, and Bonnie smiles and shakes her head.

She repeats back the order. "Coming right up, ma'am." The woman walks away, shoulders slumped slightly, and Bonnie sighs, massaging her forehead.

"Soulmate headache?"

Bonnie looks up to see Matt and she smiles. "Of course. Why am I still working here, anyway?" She picks up a grande-sized cup and writes his standard order on it, along with his name.

"Because you need the money," says Matt, sliding over his card. "And," he adds as she swipes it, "you're secretly a romantic."

Bonnie laughs, rolling her eyes, and hands back his card. "Okay, Matthew, whatever you say."

He grins and moves aside. The next customer steps up - same face, same hope - but they order a peppermint hot chocolate. And the morning continues with several men and women standing before her, anxious faces and hopeful eyes - and every time they place their order, she smiles and shakes her head, wishing them a good day.

Her shift ends and she sips on her chai tea, sitting in the corner with her laptop. The shop is fairly crowded, but Bonnie knows most people ignore this table in the back, so she props up her feet on the chair across from her. With a paper due in a few days, she puts in her headphones and tries her best to get some work done.

At one point, Bonnie takes a break by walking around the building. The fresh air is good, but it's still winter, and her nose feels pink. When she reenters the warmth of the shop, someone holds open the door for her. "Thanks," says Bonnie, barely looking, and maybe the someone nods and smiles. She doesn't really know. Her table is still empty when she returns, the shadows of the back corner dancing in the dim lighting. Her half-written paper stares back at her, the blinking cursor taunting her, and Bonnie sighs and gets back to work.

She's not sure how long she's there for, but Bonnie's surprised when she looks up and the lights are brighter and Caroline walks over to her. "Please tell me you haven't been here all day. I know you're waiting on your soulmate, but this is sad, Bon."

"Actually," says Bonnie, pulling out her headphones and returning her feet to the floor, "I was working on my paper. You know I don't care about this soulmate thing."

Caroline raises an eyebrow as she takes a seat across from her. "If you say so." She crosses her legs and settles her elbows on the table. "So… you working tonight?"

Bonnie looks at her, eyes slightly narrowed. "Why?"

"Are you?"

"Yes, actually, I am," says Bonnie, sighing. "I have a meeting on Monday so I had to switch shifts."

Caroline shakes her head. Biting back a grin, she leans closer, whispering. "The brothers are back in town tonight."

"No," says Bonnie, not bothering to hide her grin. "Does Elena know?"

"Oh she knows." Caroline leans back, crossing her arms over her chest. "We were invited to their party."

"They're back in town _one day_ and the Salvatores are already throwing a party." Bonnie shakes her head. "And I'm guessing Elena wants to go?"

Caroline shrugs. "I may have encouraged her to." Her smile glows and Bonnie can't help but roll her eyes. "They're crashing at this friend of theirs… apparently he's really hot."

Bonnie groans, shutting her laptop and glancing at the clock. "Car, you know I can't. Also stop trying to hook me up with random guys."

"You're the one who said your bed was lonely this morning!"

"Yes, but - " Bonnie shakes her head. "You know what I meant." She stuffs her laptop away in her bag and straightens her uniform. "I will be here, working, but if you and Elena need a ride home, stop by here or call me."

"Of course," says Caroline, pulling on her purse. "I think the apartment is nearby so maybe we'll stop in." She grins again. "Maybe I'll bring the roommate by."

"I'm sure Tyler will have no problems with that."

Caroline rolls her eyes. "You're hilarious." She follows Bonnie to the door of the back room. "I don't want you to forget to live, just because you're waiting on someone who may never show up."

Bonnie mirrors Caroline's position - leaning against the wall, the door between them, hands interlocked in front of her. She smiles. "I love you too, Car."

Caroline hugs her and leaves, a quick "I'll get his number for you" quickly dropped before she disappears.

Bonnie checks in for her shift shaking her head.

The night shift, unlike the morning, is calm and peaceful. This particular coffee shop stays open late on weekends - customers pulling all-nighters or trying to sober up are grateful - and Bonnie prefers the calm and peacefulness of relaxing behind the counter to the chaos of the mornings. In particular, she enjoys the lack of hopeful glances that quickly turn into disappointment.

It's nearing midnight when Caroline texts her to let her know that the party is winding down so her and Elena will be walking over soon. Bonnie reminds them she has to close up in an hour so they better not take too long. She spins her phone in her hands, sitting behind the counter, smiling as the song playing switches.

Humming under her breath, her smiles doesn't fade when the bell rings and the door swings open. A man walks in, and although Bonnie smells a bit of alcohol off of him, he appears completely sober.

"Welcome to Starbucks, what would you like today?"

The man doesn't look at her; rather, he glances behind at the menu, frowning. There are no hopeful eyes and a slowly revealed regular order. For once, Bonnie grins as she waits for the order - she always enjoys the customers that are normal. They don't remind her they live in a society filled with soulmates.

They don't remind her she still hasn't found hers.

The man drums his fingers against the counter. Then, finally, he smiles and looks at her. "A grande iced hazelnut mocha, please."

Her hand freezes midway as she reaches for the cups. "Repeat that, please?"

"A grande iced hazelnut mocha. Please," he says again, an eyebrow raised. "Are you okay?"

Bonnie blinks several times. She pulls the sleeve of her shirt further down her arm and quickly grabs the cup and writes down his order. "Yeah. I'm fine. Fine." She forces herself to smile at him - and that's when she notices he has hazel eyes and a sharp jawline and cheeks dotted in stubble. Her stomach flips. "Let me just get this ready for you… " She trails off.

"Enzo." His grin is toothy yet soft and Bonnie forces herself to remember his distinctly unhopeful eyes. "And you're not usually on this shift, are you?"

She quickly jots down his name. "No, I'm not. How did you know?" She turns to begin preparing his drink and Enzo stays at the counter, leaning against it.

"I live right across the street. I tend to get a lot of late night coffee. Especially when my new roommates decide to throw house parties without telling me."

Bonnie bites back a laugh. "You need better roommates."

"You mean I need better step-brothers," he says, grinning. Bonnie raises her eyebrows at him. "Yeah - they decided to crash at my place for some indefinite amount of time - and throw a party. The same night."

Bonnie adds the hazelnut syrup and reaches for a top. "So you're the responsible brother?"

"I like to think I'm the normal brother."

Bonnie hands him his drink and a straw. "Would a normal brother leave their apartment during a party they're hosting?" Enzo shrugs, taking a sip. Bonnie watches him, in silence, as he doesn't move away from the counter. "We don't close for another hour or so - if you want to hide out here."

Enzo grins, eyes glittering, and Bonnie finds herself staring. "You read my mind." He moves to pull up a chair but Bonnie waves him off, moving around the counter and sitting down at a table. Joining her, he subtly tries to read the nametag on her chest. "Bonnie, is it?"

She nods. "Bonnie Bennett. Student."

"Enzo St. John," he says, offering his free hand. "Also a student." She shakes his hand and her sleeve rides up slightly. Enzo catches the black ink before she can hide it again. "So who's your soulmate?"

"Don't know." Bonnie pulls down both sleeves now, hands interlocked in her lap. She avoids his eyes. "I don't think we've met yet."

"You don't think?" Enzo frowns, leaning forward. "Wouldn't you know?"

"Well I thought I had met him, but - " Bonnie shrugs. "That's the problem with working at a coffee shop. Lots of people have the same order."

"Oh." Enzo tilts back his chair, balancing on two legs, drinking his coffee. He looks thoughtful, even as he sways from a lack of balance.

Bonnie glances at her lap. "I don't believe in the soulmate thing anyway." She sighs, now watching how Enzo multitasks - balancing and drinking and watching her with focused eyes. The way his gaze searches her makes her throat dry. "The idea of it - it's a cool concept. A soulmate, your dearest ally, your best friend - but it's unrealistic. A fantasy."

He watches her, silent, as if processing her words. It's different, having someone think about what she's saying - choosing to have a deep discussion with her, a stranger. The corner of his lips curve sideways as he bites on his straw. "Yeah, I gave up on finding my soulmate a long time ago."

Bonnie frowns. "Why?"

Enzo sighs and his chair falls back to the floor, loudly. Putting down his drink, he pulls back the leather of his jacket and the fabric of his shirt - and on his wrist is a neatly written _Thanks_.

"Ah," says Bonnie, as Enzo pulls down his sleeve again. "That would prove difficult." She rests her elbows on the table, head in her hands. Her finger twirls around her hair. "You think you might have already met them?"

Enzo mirrors her, leaning forward. "Maybe. I like to think that whatever the first thing I say to them is so unique that they'd just _know_. Make it easier on the both of us."

"That would be nice." Her tone is flat, and maybe Enzo notices, but he doesn't say anything. "You shouldn't give up, though."

Enzo stares at her, frowning. "What about you? What does yours say?"

Hesitating, Bonnie leans back in her chair and twists her fingers together. Enzo raises an eyebrow at her. She sighs and pulls back her sleeve.

His eyes grow wide. "Oh."

"Yeah."

Maybe he doesn't realize he's doing it, but Enzo reaches towards her, his finger hovering over her wrist. Bonnie swallows, the heat from his hand burning her sensitive skin. But he pulls away without actually touching her. "I'm sorry," he says, as if that's all he knows what to do.

Bonnie shakes her head. "Don't be. Like I said, lots of people share orders."

Without saying anything, Enzo stares at her - really, he searches. His eyes scan her, probing, and Bonnie feels exposed. Frowning, Bonnie tries to look away, but Enzo hardens his eye contact with her. "You work here."

Bonnie can't help the harsh laugh that escapes her. "Um - yes? Of course I work here. Obviously."

"Right." Enzo shakes his head, frowning deeply, forehead furrowed. "Do you always work mornings?"

"I mean, mostly," she says, her arms crossing over her chest. "Sometimes I switch shifts, like tonight." Enzo keeps staring at her, like he's trying to place her. She shifts uncomfortably in her chair. "What?"

As if he's snapping out of it, Enzo shakes his head, taking one long, final sip of his drink. The crackles from his straw clash violently with the nighttime silence and Bonnie scoots back her chair to distract from it.

"Well, it was nice talking with you, Enzo St. John. But I better start cleaning up. My friends should be here any minute."

"I can wait with you," he says quickly, jumping out of his chair. Bonnie frowns but he smiles at her, sheepish. "I'm sorry - it's late and I'm this weird, strange guy - never mind, I'll get out of here." He tosses his cup into the trash and stuffs his hands into his pockets. "It was nice meeting you, Bonnie Bennett."

Her name on his tongue feels like liquid fire and she wants to melt in it. But Bonnie knows better - she knows that it can't possibly be _him_ and he's just attractive and she's lonely. But he's damn attractive.

Shaking herself out of any other thoughts, Bonnie forces herself to smile and holds open the door. "Come again soon," she says, her grip tight against the metal handle. Enzo hesitates, but he begins to exit.

But then he pauses in the doorway, frowning and glancing at her. Something flashes in his eyes; and for a moment, Bonnie wonders if this is a memory. And then Enzo's eyes widen and she suddenly recognizes the something that's rising in his gaze -

Hope.

"You work here," he says, again, and Bonnie doesn't even bother responding this time. She just nods, slowly. "Say it."

"Say what?" she asks, completely confused but she wonders if she doesn't know exactly what he's talking about.

Enzo pulls back his sleeve again, on the other side of the glass door, and Bonnie glances at his wrist. The black ink glows. "Please," he says, his voice cracking in a whisper. "Say it."

The hope grows in his eyes and maybe in her chest too. Bonnie opens her mouth and she desperately wishes her voice doesn't crack. "Thanks," she says, just as quietly as him. Her breath fogs up the glass anyway.

Enzo grabs the door between them and shuts it close. Standing inches away from her, he carefully takes her hand, using his thumb to push back her sleeves - he draws circles on her wrist and Bonnie feels shivers down her spine.

"What are you doing?" Her whispers feel like an interruption, but he keeps spiraling on her skin. "I told you - "

"Were you here, earlier today? This afternoon." Enzo doesn't let go of her hand, but he's gazing into her with intense eyes and a hopefulness that still mirrors the tremors of her heartbeat. "Did you - did you come in and someone held open the door for you - "

"And I said thanks." Bonnie's eyes widen and she knows exactly how she looks - with straight shoulders and wide eyes and a fear to have any hope. "I was here - working on my paper - and I went out for a walk and - " He's closer now and her heart wants to explode. "You opened the door for me."

Enzo beams, the smile on his face glowing. "And you said thanks."

Her toes bump into his. "And you ordered a grande iced hazelnut mocha." Bonnie laughs, incredulous, because - it's _happening_. She wants him to touch her, to ground her, to prove to her this is real. "I can't believe this is actually happening."

As if he can read her mind, Enzo grins, his hand resting on her face as he strokes her hair behind her ear. "It's happening." His voice drops, his grip on her hand tighten just slightly. "I found you, Bonnie Bennett."

And Bonnie knows the grin on his face reflects her own.

(Caroline and Elena finally arive some fifteen minutes later, slightly drunk and giggling, to find the two sitting side by side at a table, Enzo's arm around the back of her chair and Bonnie's feet resting on his. The woman exchange looks, and grins, before Caroline gasps.

"Wait - isn't that - wait, that's _Enzo_?"

Elena laughs. " _The_ Enzo? Stefan and Damon's brother?"

"Brother?" Caroline frowns. "I thought he was their roommate."

"It's complicated."

Caroline wants to interrupt them immediately, get some answers and some teasing in, but Elena convinces her to give them three more minutes before they steal away their best friend to interrogate her.

Right before they do, however, Bonnie slips him an extra coffee sleeve with her number.)


End file.
